Wolfpack lands fullback; Tar Heels losing recruits

By: By Bill Cole | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: June 30, 2009

N.C. State's 2010 football recruiting class is continuing to grow, but North Carolina's 2009 class is starting to shrink.

Logan Winkles, a 6-0, 240-pound fullback prospect from Thomaston, Ga., became the ninth member of N.C. State's class when he committed over the weekend.

He is a rising senior at Upson-Lee High School and also considered Navy. Neither Winkles nor Coach Tommy Watson of Upson-Lee could be reached yesterday by the Winston-Salem Journal.

Winkles can sign the binding national letter-of-intent in February when the NCAA's next football signing period begins.

Winkles missed the last three games of his junior season last season because of a knee injury. He played linebacker and tight end. He had 83 tackles to lead the team, six forced fumbles, five sacks and an interception.

He has 4.7-second speed over 40 yards. He is the area weight-lifting champion and bench presses 330 pounds. He also wrestles and had a 34-4 record last season.

At least three members of UNC's incoming freshman class are expected to attend prep school in the coming academic year and a fourth recruit will likely enroll in a junior college, according to sources in Chapel Hill.

Justin Dixon, a 6-1, 225-pound linebacker from Smithfield, and Johnnie Farms, a 6-3, 300-pound offensive lineman from Perry, Ga., will attend Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. D.J. Bunn, a 6-0, 190-pound defensive back from Smithfield, is expected to attend prep school also, possibly Hargrave.

Farms and Dixon were among 11 SuperPrep All-Americas in the UNC class.

Ray-Ray Davis, a 6-1 receiver from Monroe, is expected to enroll in a junior college. Scott Stein, Davis' coach at Sun Valley High School, did not return a call yesterday from the Winston-Salem Journal to discuss Davis' situation.

Prizell Brown, a 6-4, 260-pound tight end from Austin, Texas, and Blinn College, is not expected to enroll at UNC, according to the sources, and will leave the class.

UNC's class numbered 29 recruits on signing day last February, four more than the NCAA limit. Angelo Hadley, a 6-0, 190-pound defensive back from Seffner, Fla., began the exodus from the class in early spring when his grant was withdrawn by Coach Butch Davis and UNC school officials after he was arrested for a second time.

UNC's class is down to 23 and could grow smaller if Donavan Tate, a 6-2, 205-pound quarterback from Cartersville, Ga., chooses professional baseball. An outfielder, Tate was the No. 3 choice overall in Major League Baseball's draft by the San Diego Padres.

Additionally, UNC could lose Jay Wooten, a rising sophomore kicker from Laurinburg, who is expected to transfer, according to the sources. Wooten could not be reached for comment by the Winston-Salem Journal yesterday.

Wooten handled mostly kickoffs last season but made 4 of 6 field-goal attempts, with a long kick of 43 yards, and all 11 of his extra-point attempts. Wooten redshirted in the 2007 season and has three seasons of eligibility left.

If Wooten leaves, he can transfer down an NCAA Division and play immediately. If he transfers to another Division I school, he will have to sit out a season under NCAA transfer rules.

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.